Cabinet structure



June 13, 1967 L. c. LUSTiG 3,325,236

CABINET STRUCTURE Filed Oct. 4, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet United States Patent3,325,236 CABINET STRUCTURE Leonard C. Lustig, St. Paul, Minn, assignorto Whirlpool Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 4, 1965,Ser. No. 492,536 7 Claims. (Cl. 312-293) This invention relates tostorage cabinet structure and more particularly to a novel arrangementfor subdividing or separating the inside of a storage cabinet, togetherwith a novel track structure and attachment means therefor.

In storage cabinets such as a refrigerator or freezer chest and thelike, it is desirable to make efficient use of as much space as possiblewithin the cabinet and still retain some degree of accessibility tosubstantially all parts of the cabinet interior. In a top opening typecabinet, e.g., a freezer chest, access to certain items such as largecuts of meat may be necessary only once or twice a week so they can bestored near the bottom of the cabinet, while access to other items suchas frozen vegetables or juices may be required daily so they should bestored near the top of the cabinet. In a cabinet that is full and accessto an item at the bottom of the cabinet is required, it should not benecessary to remove item for item all of the articles above it.

Various methods have been devised for making it possible to have accessto different parts of the cabinet without completely unloading thecabinet. One such method divides the cabinet into two parts, and upperand a lower part, with a track upon which containers having rollers aremovably disposed. Such cabinets in use today have only two levels ofstorage, one level on the bottom of the cabinet and the other or upperlevel near the top served by the movable containers. Although the oneupper level of movable containers was an improvement, it still hasserious limitations in that either the movable containers are so deepthat it is difficult to get items from within the container or thebottom section of the cabinet is so deep that it is still an unloadingproposition to reach the desired items at or near the bottom of thecabinet. The tracks upon which the movable containers are positionedwithin the cabinet are permanently affixed to the cabinet substantiallylimiting the flexibility of the cabinet and its uses.

Thus, a principal feature of the present invention is the provision of anew and improved storage cabinet structure.

Another feature of the invention is the provision of an improved storagecabinet having a multiple level storage arrangement.

And another feature of the invention is the provision of an improvedcabinet having a novel arrangement of storage containers which increasesthe capacity of the cabinet while improving accessibility to everysegment of the cabinet.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of an improved trackmeans for a cabinet.

' Still a further feature of the invention is the provision of animproved means and method for attaching a track member.

Still a further feature of the invention is the provision of an improveddual track arrangement and a method of mounting said track to a support.

And a further feature of the invention is the provision of an improveddual track arrangement for a cabinet wherein different levels ofcontainers can be movably supported from the track without requiringspecial assembly steps for the track.

Still another feature of the invention is the provision of an improvedfastener for securing one element to another.

Another feature of the invention is an improved method and means formounting a roller on an axle.

Another feature of the invention is the provision of an improved methodfor positioning containers in a cabinet in such a way as to increase thestorage capability of the cabinet without increasing the size of thecabinet.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawingswherein:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of a cabinet illustratingthe improved segmenting or sectionalizing feature of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a cross sectional view taken along lines 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged elevational view partially in section of a trackand roller arrangement thereof;

FIGURE 4 is a still further enlarged view similar to FIGURE 3 with partsof the track shown in phantom during assembly of the track with the wallstructure;

FIGURE 5 is a rear elevational view of a fastener or connector elementof the invention; and

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary view of one of the openings in the front orrear wall of the cabinet.

In the exemplary embodiment of the invention as dis closed in thedrawing, a cabinet 10 of the freezer chest type is shown having a boxportion 11 with an open top 12 and a pivoted lid or closure portion 13hinged to the box portion and adapted to cover said open top of thecabinet. The box portion 11 of the cabinet 10 is comprised of front andrear vertical walls 14 and 15, end Walls 16 and 17 and a bottom wall 18,all integrally formed or joined together. As illustrated, each wall hasan outer layer 20 and an inner layer 22 of sheet metal or other sheetmaterial separated by a bat or thickness of insulating material 21. Thebottom wall 18 and the end wall 17 each have one portion thereof offsetas at 24 to form a separate housing 25 in which is mounted a compressoror other appropriate operating mechanism for use in cooling the interiorof the cabinet. The outer layer 20 of sheet metal of the cabinetencompasses the chamber 25 so that from the outside of the cabinet thepresence of the separate housing 25 is not readily apparent. The exposedsurfaces of the walls of the cabinet can be painted, enameled orfinished in some manner. Within the interior of the cabinet 10' the topsurface 26 of the chamber 25 forms a shelf which can be used to supportitems within the cabinet. The lid or cover 13 is hinged to the cabinetand has gaskets and a latch mechanism so that when the lid is closed,the interior of the cabinet can be substantially sealed from theoutside.

The area or space within the cabinet is divided into substantially threelevels or three vertical segments, that is, an upper level or segment30, an intermediate or middle level or segment 31, and a lower level orsegment 32. The lower segment 32 has vertical dividers 35 and 36extending between the front and rear walls to provide three separatesubdivisions 37, 37a and 37b of the section. In a freezer chest the areaof the lower level or segment 32 is normally the coldest so that largeritems and items to be stored for longer periods of time would be storedtherein. The space between the shelf 26 and the top of the box 11 of thecabinet is divided into the other two levels or segments, namely, theintermediate or middle level or segment 31 and the upper level orsegment 30. The levels or segments 30, 31 are divided by a pair ofhorizontal guide channels 38, one extending along the inside of each ofthe front and rear walls 14 and 15 respectively.

A plurality of containers or baskets 40 are movably carried by the guidechannels 38 in the area of the middle level or segment 31 of thecabinet, and another plurality 3 of containers or baskets 44 arelikewise movably carried by the guide channels 38 in the area of theupper level or segment of the cabinet. A third type container or basket46 is positioned in the area of the middle level or middle segment 31 ofthe cabinet and rests with its bottom on the top surface 26 of thechamber 25.

In use, the container 46 can be lifted from the cabinet by raising itstraight up from its supporting shelf 26 in the area of the intermediatelevel or segment 31 of the chamber. The baskets or containers 40 and 44can then be rolled either to the left or to the right along the guidechannels 38 within the cabinet. In this way access past any one of thecontainers 44 into a container 40 can be readily accomplished.Furthermore, access into any of the lower chambers 37, 37a or 37bbetween the dividers 35 and 36 can be gained by moving in an appropriatefashion the containers 44 in the top segment 38 and the containers 40 inthe middle segment 31.

To make use of the above described structure in a freezer chest, forinstance, it is possible for an individual to subdivide a storagerequirement into many relatively small discrete groupings; each groupingcan be deposited in one or more of the various containers 40, 44, 46 orin the chambers 37, 37a, 37b. The containers 40, 44 and 46 can be madein such a way that not too many items can be stored in each container.In this way all of the articles in each container are readilyaccessible. The depth of the chambers 37, 37a and 37b are such that itis no longer necessary to unload several levels of articles to reach anitem on the bottom of one of the chambers. Since the lowermost part of afreezer chest is the coldest, the larger frozen items and those to bestored longer would be deposited in the lower levels or chambers 37,37a, 37b. Items of intermediate size and estimated length of storagetime are stored in the intermediate level with the short term storeditems being stored in the upper level. As a result of the ability tosubdivide the storage chamber into at least three levels or segments, amore order-1y and more eflicient method and means for storing goods in acabinet is provided.

When the appropriate additions or removals have been made from thecontainers or chambers in the cabinet, the containers 40 and 44 aremoved to the left as viewed in FIGURE 1 and the extra container 46 isdeposited on the surface 26 within the cabinet whereupon the cover 13can be closed.

To accomplish the movability of the containers 40 and 44, the novelguide channel 38 is provided together with novel means for removablypositioning the guide channels on a wall in the cabinet or the like.That is, each of the guide channels 38, as is shown in FIGURES 3 and 4,is formed of an elongate sheet material and has a vertical base or webportion 50 through which is formed a plurality of longitudinally spaced,generally rectangularly shaped openings 51. A pair of vertically spacedguide tracks or shelves 53 and 54 are formed outwardly in a horizontaldirection from the web 50, one from the top edge and one from the bottomedge thereof. The outward exposed end of the upper or top guide track 53has an upturned flange 55 lying in a plane substantially parallel to theplane of the web 50. The bottom track 54 has an angled wall 57 extendingfrom the bottom edge of the web 50 to a point spaced slightly inwardfrom the plane of the web 50. A flange 58 is formed on the outer edge ofthe track 54 and angles upwardly and outwardly therefrom. The bottomtrack 54 and angled flange 58 extend a short distance further from theweb 50 than the track 53 and flange 55 so that the lower track projectsbeyond the plane of the flange 55 of track 53.

I The guide channels 38 are removably attached to the front and backwalls 14, 15 of the cabinet by means of a plurality of attaching membersor connectors 60.

Each attaching member or connector 60 has a rectangularly shaped baseportion 61 with an upwardly and outwardly flared supporting member .62having one face 63 thereof spaced from the plane of said base portion61. A horizontally projecting cylindrical lug 64 is formed integrallywith and extends rearwardly from substantially the central portion ofsaid body 61. The rear surface of the base portion 61 of the connector60 has an undercut portion 66 which results in a raised lip 67completely encircling the edge of said base portion. At the junction ofthe lug 64 with the base portion 61 is formed a pair of raised abutments68 which have their outer surfaces 69 lying in a plane spaced a shortdistance outward from the plane of the raised lip 67. Since theabutments 68 extend beyond the plane of the lip 67 of the base, theywill serve as keys or positioning devices for the connectors 60.

A spring or resilient fastener 71 passes transversely through the outerportion of the cylindrical lug 64 with its opposite legs 72, 73projecting back toward the base portion 61 and being angularly disposedoutwardly from the side walls of the lug 64. The central part 75 of thespring fastener 71 cannot move relative to the lug 60 due to an anchor76 secured to said part 75 which is embedded in the lug 64. The endfaces 77, 78 of the legs 72, 73 of the spring fastener lie in a planesubstantially coinciding with the plane of the surface 69 on theabutments 68 and are displaced sidewise with respect to the abutments 68(see FIGURE .5).

The walls 14 and 15 of the cabinet 10 have a plurality of slots 80(FIGURE 6) passing through the inner wall 22 thereof. Each slot 80 hasan enlarged circular central portion 8 1 with diametrically opposedsemicircular shaped adjacent portions 82, 83. The portions 81, 82, 83 ofthe slot 80 are slightly larger than but shaped substantially the sameas the lug 64 and adjacent abutments 68 of the connectors 60.

To attach the channel 38 to the wall 15 several of attachment members orconnectors 60 are inserted one at a time into slots 80 with the lug 64entering the enlarged central portion 81 of slot 80 and the legs 72, 73of the spring fastener 71 entering the semicircular portions 82, 83 ofslot 80. At this point the top edge of the connector 60 is facing towardthe bottom wall of the cabinet and the surfaces 69 of the raisedabutments 68 are against the surface of wall 22. As the connector 60 isforced against the wall 22 and simultaneously rotated clockwise the legs72, 73 of spring fastener 71 are forced against the edges of the openportions 82, 83 of wall 22 and spread apart as they pass throughopenings 82, 83. The connector 60 is further rotated so that the ends77, 78 of legs 72, 73 engage behind the wall 22 and abutments 68 nest inthe open portions 82, 83 of the slot 80 to lock the connector 60 to thewall in a position with its top edge spbstantially parallel to the planeof the bottom wall of the cabinet. The connectors 60, due to the keyingof abutments 68 with openings 82, 83, will not turn in the slots 80 oncethey are set. At least two, but preferably four, connectors 60 areconnected to the front wall 14 and to the rear wall 15 of the cabinet.

To hang a guide channel 38 on the connectors 60, it is only necessary toalign the openings 51 in the web 50 of the channel 38 with thesupporting members 62 of the connectors and with the track 54 heldinwardly away from the wall 22. The web 50 of the channel 38 is disposedat an angle to the vertical wall. The top edges of the openings 51 arepositioned between the faces 63 of the connectors and the wall (see thedotted line position of FIGURE 4). Once the bottom edge of the openings51 clear the lower part of the connectors 60, the channel 38 can bepivoted back against the wall into the operative solid line position ofFIGURE 4. In this position the lower face of the track 53 rests on orjust above the top surface of the connectors 60.

The guide channels 38 can be removed from the inside of the cabinet byreversing the steps of the assembly just enumerated. This makes itpossible to build a uniform cabinet 10 which can have either a plaininterior or can have tracks and containers with the plural levels orsegments therein. It also makes it possible to readily clean the insideof the cabinet and the channels.

The containers 40, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, are welded wire baskets.Other types of containers such as plastic or metal could be used withoutdeparting from the invention. Each basket or container 40 has at leastfour axles or arms 85 laterally projecting from the upper edges of saidbasket. Rotatably connected to the end of each axle 85 is a roller 86having an enlarged rolling surface 87 which is adapted to ride or rollin the track 54. The containers or,basket 44 are of substantially thesame construction as containers 40 and have at least four axles 89laterally projecting from the lower edges of said containers. Rotatablymounted on each axle 89 is a roller 90 having a rolling surface 91adapted to ride or roll in the track 53.

The rollers 86 and 90 are secured on the axles 85, 89 respectively, bymeans of caps 92 fitting over the ends of the axles and nesting inenlarged openings 93 in the central portions of the rollers 86, 90respectively. The lengths of the caps 92 relative to the depths of theopenings 93 and relative to the lengths of the axles 85, 90 are suchthat the rollers, 90 are free to translate axially to some degreeoutward and inward with respect to the ends of the axles. This isparticularly important with respect to the lower baskets 40 since itpermits the rollers 86 to be moved inwardly with respect to the baskets40 as the baskets are lowered into the cabinet and past the tracks 53 ofthe guide channel 38. Once past the tracks 53, the rollers 86 engagewith the angled and extended flanges 58 of the tracks 54 moving therollers 86 outward on the axles so that the rolling surface 87 rides inthe tracks 54. The movements of the rollers 86, 90 relative to the axleson the baskets also permits some misalignment between the channels,tracks and walls. In this way manufacturing tolerances need not be sorigidly controlled and thereby the cost of producing the cabinet can bereduced.

The guide channel 38 with the vertically spaced apart tracks 53, 54provides a structure whereby two levels of containers 40, 44 can besupported on the single guide channel for independent movement withoutinterference between the respective levels of containers. The bi-levelmounting also makes it possible to create at least three storage levelswithin the cabinet.

The containers 40, 44 and 46, as well as the guide channels 38, can allbe readily removed from the cabinet, making it very simple to clean theinside of the cabinet.

It is believed to be obvious that the dual track channel, the connectorfor the channel and the top and bottom suspension of rolling members isusable in other areas besides the cabinet structure upon which it isspecifically described above. The invention is not intended to belimited by the fact that the disclosure is directed solely toward acabinet structure.

While I have shown and described one embodiment of my invention, it isto be understood that it is capable of many modifications. Changes,therefore, in my construction and arrangement may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed in theappended claims.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A cabinet structure, comprising: a storage chamber having spaced sidewalls, a bottom wall and a horizontal shelf extending between said sidewalls and spaced upwardly from said bottom wall; container means in saidchamber including at least one upper container, at least one lowercontainer, and at least one additional container; means for movablysupporting the upper and lower containers between said side walls withthe lower containers spaced from said bottom walls to define a bottomstorage area; and means for supporting said additional container on saidhorizontal shelf for removal of said additional container to permit saidupper and lower containers to be shifted to gain access to the bottomstorage area.

2. A cabinet structure, comprising: a. storage chamber having spacedside walls and a bottom wall; a horizontally disposed track meansremovably mounted on each of said side walls, said track means includinga channel shaped member with an attaching web portion and a pair ofvertically spaced apart track portions projecting therefrom; thelowermost track portion extending into the chamber a greater distancethan the upper track portion; a plurality of fastening devicesresiliently latched to said side walls and engaging with said webportion of the channel shape-d member for removably mounting saidchannel shaped member to said side walls; at least one container meanshaving sidewardly displaceable roller means projecting from the upperedge portions thereof; said last named roller means being displacedinwardly toward the container means so as to permit the container to belowered into the chamber past the upper track portion and engage in thelowermost track portions of said track means; and at least one othercontainer means having roller means projecting from the lower edgeportions thereof; said roller means engaging in the: uppermost trackportions of said track means whereby said respective container means aremovable relative to each other and relative to the chamber.

3. A cabinet structure, comprising: means defining a storage chamberhaving side walls, end walls, a bottom wall and a top access opening,said chamber defining an upper level, an intermediate level, and a lowerlevel; a first support means horizontally disposed on each of said sidewalls; an upper plurality of baskets having portions engaging said firstsupport means to provide free movement of said baskets transverselythrough said upper level of storage space in said chamber; a secondsupport means horizontally disposed on each of said walls below saidfirst support means; a lower plurality of baskets having portionsengaging said second support means to provide free movement of saidsecond plurality of baskets transversely through said intermediate levelof storage space in said chamber, said portions being adjustable topermit restricted movement of said lower plurality of baskets upwardlypast said first support means, said lower plurality of baskets beingspaced from said bottom wall to be above said lower level of storagespace in said chamber; and a removable basket carried on said bottomwall and having at least a portion disposed in said intermediate levelof storage space to limit the transverse movement of said secondplurality of baskets on said second support means, said removable baskethaving clearance with said support means whereby said removable basketmay be readily lifted upwardly therebetween to provide a clearance spacein one portion of said intermediate level permitting at least a portionof said lower plurality of baskets to be moved transversely into saidclearance space thereby to provide a passage downwardly therepastthrough said intermediate level of said storage space for access to saidlower level.

4. The cabinet structure of claim 3 wherein said first and secondsupport means are defined by a single channel shaped structure disposedon each of said side walls and having turned edge flanges extending intosaid chamber to define said first and second support means.

5. The cabinet structure of claim 3 wherein said first and secondsupport means comprises a single channel shaped structure disposed oneach of said side walls and having vertically spaced apart substantiallyparallel edge flanges extending into said chamber to define trackingmembers for said upper and lower plurality of baskets.

6. The cabinet structure of claim 3 wherein said bottom wall defines anupwardly offset shelf portion extending horizontally at the bottom ofsaid intermediate level and said removable basket is carried on saidshelf portion of the bottom wall.

7. A cabinet structure, comprising: a storage chamber having spaced sidewalls and a bottom wall; a horizontally disposed track means removablymounted on each of said side walls, said track means including a channelshaped member With an attaching web portion and a pair of verticallyspaced apart track portions projecting therefrom; a plurality offastening devices resiliently latched to said side walls and engagingwith said web portion of the channel shaped member for removablymounting said channel shaped member to said side walls; at least onecontainer means having roller means projecting from the lower edgeportions thereof, said roller means engaging in the uppermost trackportions of said track means; and at least one other container meanshaving roller means projecting from the upper edge portions thereof,said last named roller means engaging in the lowermost track portions ofsaid track means whereby said respective container :8 means are movablerelative to each other and relative to the chamber, said roller means onsaid other container being movable toward said container to permit thecontainer to be inserted into and removed from the storage chamber pastthe uppermost track portion of the track means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,271,802 2/ 1942 Nordskog 62-2462,773,362 12/1956 Scheitlin 62-277 2,918,341 12/1959 'Peglow 3 123113,245,742 4/1966 Lampman 312-341 X CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, PrimaryExaminer.

F. DOMOTOR, Assistant Examiner.

3. A CABINET STRUCTURE, COMPRISING: MEANS DEFINING A STORAGE CHAMBER HAVING SIDE WALLS, END WALLS, A BOTTOM WALL AND A TOP ACCESS OPENING, SAID CHAMBER DEFINING AN UPPER LEVEL, AN INTERMEDIATE LEVEL, AND A LOWER LEVEL; A FIRST SUPPORT MEANS HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED ON EACH OF SAID SIDE WALLS; AN UPPER PLURALITY OF BASKETS HAVING PORTIONS ENGAGING SAID FIRST SUPPORT MEANS TO PROVIDE FREE MOVEMENT OF SAID BASKETS TRANSVERSELY THROUGH SAID UPPER LEVEL OF STORAGE SPACE IN SAID CHAMBER; A SECOND SUPPORT MEANS HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED ON EACH OF SAID WALLS BELOW SAID FIRST SUPPORT MEANS; A LOWER PLURALITY OF BASKETS HAVING PORTIONS ENGAGING SAID SECOND SUPPORT MEANS TO PROVIDE FREE MOVEMENT OF SAID SECOND PLURALITY OF BASKETS TRANSVERSELY THROUGH SAID INTERMEDIATE LEVEL OF STORAGE SPACE IN SAID CHAMBER, SAID PORTIONS BEING ADJUSTABLE TO PERMIT RESTRICTED MOVEMENT OF SAID LOWER PLURALITY OF BASKETS UPWARDLY PAST SAID FIRST SUPPORT MEANS SAID LOWER PLURALITY OF BASKETS BEING SPACED FROM SAID BOTTOM WALL TO BE ABOVE SAID LOWER LEVEL OF STORAGE SPACE IN SAID CHAMBER; AND A REMOVABLE BASKET CARRIED ON SAID BOTTOM WALL AND HAVING AT LEAST A PORTION DISPOSED IN SAID INTERMEDIATE LEVEL OF STORAGE SPACE TO LIMIT THE TRANSVERSE MOVEMENT OF SAID SECOND PLURALITY OF BASKETS ON SAID SECOND SUPPORT MEANS, SAID REMOVABLE BASKET HAVING CLEARANCE WITH SAID SUPPORT MEANS WHEREBY SAID REMOVABLE BASKET MAY BE READILY LIFTED UPWARDLY THEREBETWEEN TO PROVIDE A CLEARANCE SPACE IN ONE PORTION OF SAID INTERMEDIATE LEVEL PERMITTING AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID LOWER PLURALITY OF BASKETS TO BE MOVED TRANSVERSELY INTO SAID CLEARANCE SPACE THEREBY TO PROVIDE A PASSAGE DOWNWARDLY THEREPAST THROUGH SAID INTERMEDIATE LEVEL OF SAID STORAGE SPACE FOR ACCESS TO SAID LOWER LEVEL. 